A Bellyful and an Earful

Calling them “gladiators” for their courage, world-class violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg coached two young music students during a master class and benefit luncheon sponsored by the Pacific Symphony Orchestra League.

“The poor kids,” she said during the event Tuesday at the Hyatt Regency Irvine. “When I was 16, I played for Itzhak Perlman. . . . I know how nervous they must be.”

Though she was pleased to be able to tutor the budding artists, Salerno-Sonnenberg was at the same time frustrated by the limited amount of time she had to spend with them.

“I have about 15 minutes for each, and that’s not much,” she said. “I will just focus on one little thing and see if I can make a difference.”

While the 40-year-old virtuoso attended a private, pre-luncheon reception with orchestra leaders--including music director Carl St.Clair and his wife, Susan--the young violinists practiced furiously in private chambers.

“I am nervous, excited--everything together!” said Eunhee Kim, 21, who studies music at UC Irvine. Kim had been practicing as many as six hours a day for her performance of Sibelius’ Violin Concerto in D minor.

Shelly Ren, 20, a music student at Cal State Los Angeles, called playing a concerto by Henri Vieuxtemps for Salerno-Sonnenberg “a big thrill.”

“This is a very technical piece; I’ve been working hard on it,” she said.

After lunch (chairwoman Lynn Freeman welcomed guests), St.Clair stood before the 250-strong crowd and told them they were about to watch something “musicians usually do in private places and in soundproof rooms.

“This is daunting for a pupil to do in public,” he added. “But this will give you the opportunity to see what goes into building a great violinist.”

Kim was a few minutes into her piece when Salerno-Sonnenberg joined her onstage and invited her to replay its opening phrases.

“This is a very emotional opening--like ice,” she said. “Be very expressive in the coolest way. It should be light, more terse; it was a little too full.”

To Ren, whom she allowed to play for several minutes, she said: “Everything was working--but there’s a lot of technical stuff going on in this piece. Still, there is music in those passages. When you approach technical phrases, concentrate on the music within.”

The event marked the second time the Pacific Symphony Orchestra League has staged a master class.

“Last year’s class [featuring opera star Deborah Voigt] was very well received,” orchestra president John Forsyte said. “This is a wonderful way to expose people to the way great artists hear music. We’re hoping people walk away with the insight that this is an interpretive art form.”

Luncheon guest Janice Johnson--who, along with husband Roger, is underwriting Salerno-Sonnenberg’s performance tonight at the Orange County Performing Arts Center--said she first heard the violinist during a dinner a few years ago at the White House.

“She is a wonderful, gutsy performer-- full of emotion,” Johnson said. “Every note comes right up from her feet.”

During the festivities, arts philanthropist Jeanette Segerstrom of Newport Beach, who was unable to attend the luncheon, was praised for her “extraordinary contributions to arts organizations in Orange County” by league president Janice Smith.

Also among luncheon guests was Sharon McNalley of Corona del Mar, who on Friday helped welcome friends to the first anniversary concert by the the Hutchins Consort at the Irvine Barclay Theatre.

More than 450 people attended the concert, in which musicians playing eight acoustically matched violins, serenaded guests with selections from “Bach to Brubeck,” McNalley said. The concert was dedicated to the memory of her deceased husband, cardiologist Michael McNalley. Her son, Joe McNalley, is the consort’s artistic director.

Memorable Memento

Forget trophies or commemorative wall plaques.

When Disneyland Resort President Cynthia Harriss received the Tree of Life Award from the Jewish National Fund last week, she earned the chance to have a reservoir in Israel named after her. The event, held at the Grand Californian Hotel in Anaheim, raised about $250,000 to help alleviate the water crisis in Israel.

“We gave her a choice of how the proceeds from the event would be used, and, after much review, she decided on a reservoir,” JNF executive director Gail Molk said. The JNF is the “caretaker of the land of Israel,” Molk added. “We own 20% of the land in Israel that we manage and hold in perpetuity, never to be sold.”

JNF has committed to building 100 reservoirs in Israel during the next five years. The site for the Harriss reservoir, which could cost upward of $1 million to build, has not yet been chosen.

“We’re hoping that Cynthia Harriss will be able to go to Israel and select it,” Molk said.

Guests at the event also included honorary gala co-chairmen Paul Pressler and Henry Segerstrom, a former Tree of Life award winner; JNF regional president Jerry Kaufman; Alice Alkosser, gala chairwoman; and ABC journalist Cokie Roberts, keynote speaker.

Ann Conway can be reached at (714) 966-5952 or by e-mail at ann.conway@latimes.com.